Four-time champions and reigning titleholders KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg secured their second victory in Group A of the Champions League Women, following their win over Novi Sad by prevailing against Saint-Quentin TT in France.
The French team had a promising start when Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN led Fu YU 2-0, but the Portuguese star rallied to win the match. Elizabeta SAMARA proved crucial with two wins, defeating Linda BERGSTRÖM in four games and overcoming MONTEIRO DODEAN in straight games.
“It was a tough match. We came here hoping to secure at least one point, as Saint-Quentin has a very strong team and fielded their top players,” SAMARA shared, reflecting on her challenging match against her close friend and former Romanian teammate, MONTEIRO DODEAN.
Polina MIKHAILOVA contributed a point for the hosts by defeating Tarnobrzeg’s youngest player, Natalia BAJOR.
Saint-Quentin previously reached the ETTU Cup semifinals in 2013 and the Champions League quarterfinals in 2022. On the other hand, Polish powerhouse KTS Tarnobrzeg has dominated European competition since 2019. Their achievements include runner-up in the 1999 European Cup of Champions, multiple ETTU Cup finals from 2008 to 2013, ETTU Cup champions in 2014-2015, and Champions League runners-up in 2016 and 2017. Tarnobrzeg claimed Champions League titles in 2019, 2020 (defeating TT Saint-Quentin), and consecutively in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The Polish team only missed the 2021 season as a COVID precaution; otherwise, they might have claimed an uninterrupted streak of six consecutive titles.
Saint-Quentin TT – KTS ENEA SIARKO Tarnobrzeg 1-3
- Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN – Fu YU 2-3 (11-8, 11-9, 11-13, 11-13, 3-6)
- Linda BERGSTRÖM – Elizabeta SAMARA 1-3 (11-6, 6-11, 9-11, 10-12)
- Polina MIKHAILOVA – Natalia BAJOR 3-0 (11-8, 12-12, 11-2)
- Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN – Elizabeta SAMARA 0-3 (11-13, 8-11, 10-12)
